1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to connectors and connector assemblies.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, electric apparatuses operate with electric power supplied from a power supply through a connector. Such a connector includes a male (inserting) connector and a female (receiving) connector, which are mated to each other to establish an electrical connection as described in, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 5-82208 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. 2003-31301.
In recent years, studies have been made, as a measure against global warming, of supplying direct-current (DC), high-voltage electric power in power transmission in local areas as well. Such a form of power supply, which is reduced in power loss in voltage conversion or power transmission and does not require an increase in cable thickness, is considered desirable particularly for information apparatuses such as servers, which consume a large amount of power.
When using such high-voltage electric power for information apparatuses such as servers, a connector different from connectors used for normal alternating-current (AC) commercial power supplies is used to establish an electrical connection because the apparatuses are installed and maintained by manual work.
For related art, reference may also be made to Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2012-104448.